What better way to spring into this season than planting seeds? And what better place than a greenhouse? If you don't have access to one there are many great hacks that can get Powell River area residents growing in no time.
Start with your recycling bin. Dig out those plastic salad containers or to-go cake pans. They make great mini greenhouses when placed near windows. You might even find they heat up too fast and need to be moved around.
You could also raid your deposit bottle bin. Try cutting two-litre bottles in half and flipping the top upside down into the bottom.
With a bit of water in the base, you will have a self-watering plant system for your starts.
If you're feeling like direct seeding, the recycling bin can still come in handy, again. Large juice containers with tops cut off and even glass mason jars can be inverted over seeds to create a microclimate right on site.
Those motivated to have more space for seedlings and to expand their growing season overall may be looking to get a greenhouse. Before you head out to buy new, take a peak around the yard to see what materials you might already have to make your very own on the cheap.
You can go as simple as slapping an old window on top of a ring of hay bales, or even large chunks of beached styrofoam. It might not be the talk of the garden club, but your plants will still be happy with some extra heat on their side.
Take advantage of south-facing exterior walls of your home as well, knowing that heat from the wall will radiate back out later in the day to keep temperatures up longer. You can even lean an old window against the wall for an easy additional blast of heat.
While plastic is best kept out of the garden, leftover pieces of clear plastic sheets can be stapled to wood offcuts and fashioned into a garden-bed hoop house. And, speaking of hoop houses, consider using branches rather than purchasing plastic piping for smaller hoop houses.
A unique idea for a hoop house is to repurpose a broken trampoline frame by cutting it into two halves. These can function as the entrance and exit “hoops.”
If you have more time on your hands, and know a carpenter, you can look into making an upcycled greenhouse. A quick search online will inspire you. Take a look at ones made from large glass or plastic containers mortared together. Or, how about putting together old windows with broken seals into an efficient hothouse?
Waste lumber and clear plastic can be upcycled into an eye-catching geodesic dome greenhouse, too.
Whatever materials you choose, the gardener in you will delight in a creating a hothouse that doesn’t heat up the planet.
Let’s Talk Trash is qathet Regional District’s waste-reduction education program.
